Woman beaten up by ex-husband not asked to leave hospital: SMC

Manama : The Syrian woman who was brutally beaten up by her Bahraini ex-husband earlier this week wasn’t asked to leave the hospital as reported by a local newspaper yesterday.

DT News has learnt that Zahra Subhi, 35, who was hospitalised at Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC) on Saturday after her ex-husband brutally attacked her, will remain in the hospital for the next few days.

Denying the report published by a local daily yesterday, claiming that the woman was surprisingly asked by SMC administration to leave the hospital, National Institution for Human Rights Complaint Monitoring and Follow-up Committee Head Deena Alladhi told DT News that the institution has communicated with the administration of SMC, which denied the allegations.

Alladhi, who’s in charge of NIHR’s team tasked to follow up on Subhi’s case confirmed, “Subhi’s condition is stable now and she’s quickly recovering. She was not asked to leave the hospital as mentioned in the report, despite that her condition allows her to be discharged. She will be kept under observation for the next couple of days, as confirmed by the medical team monitoring her case. She will be sheltered at Dar Al Aman Home for Domestic Violence Victims once she is discharged.”

She informed that efforts are being taken to provide a permanent shelter for Subhi and her five children after she is discharged from SMC. Alladhi said that four of the victim’s children are sheltered at Dar Al Aman Home for Domestic Violence Victims, while the youngest child is staying with the aunt of the father as per Subhi’s request.

DT News reported earlier that Subhi was divorced from her 52-year-old Bahraini husband around three months ago, after being married for ten years. 

As per a previous court order, Subhi lived at her ex-husband’s residence in Jeblat Habshi, as she is the legal custodian of the kids.

The man assaulted the mother of children on September 12, punching her, banging her head against the wall and hitting her head with a piece of tile. Subhi claims that her ex-husband continually assaulted her in the past, but she insisted that he was attempting to murder her this time.

“This is not the first time that he beats me. But this time he wanted to kill me so he can marry a Bahraini woman who’s an employee so she can take care of all of his expenses. I hope that everyone who knows my story would stand with me and support me,” Subhi said in a video message that was widely circulated on local and regional social media networks in the past few days.

Several entities in the Kingdom immediately took action after Subhi’s message went viral. Interior Ministry announced that it had arrested the attacker and referred him to the Public Prosecution few hours after the case was reported. The Prosecution said on Sunday that it had ordered to detain the man after interrogating him in the presence of his lawyer.

Northern Governorate Prosecution Head Mohammed Salah reaffirmed in a statement yesterday that the prosecution is following up the case with the authorities, adding that “the victim is receiving the treatment at SMC”.